We will move out of our premises in Glenrothes this week after twenty years in the town, relocating  into Silverburn Park near Leven with our services now being based outdoors and on online. We took on the lease for the 27-acre public park in 2019. 

“It made sense to be closer to Silverburn as it has proved more and more useful to be able to get clients into nature, which is so helpful for everyone’s mental health. Some of our courses, such as ‘Employ Your Mind’, are already being run completely outdoors. We also have a number of clients volunteering at the park and some have even ended up with a job there,” said Duncan Mitchell CEO of FEAT. “In addition our services have moved online over the past year due to the pandemic and so it was a no brainer. We can now save money and cut our carbon footprint too.” 

We are also fundraising at present for a multi-million pound visitor centre and community hub within the park, which will include offices for FEAT plus a café and restaurant, a shop, backpackers’ hostel with en-suite rooms, arts and craft studios, public toilets with fully accessible Changing Space facilities, as well as spaces for meetings, events and learning. The premises, which it is hoped will open in 2025, when it is planned the Levenmouth Railway will be operational, will take what the charity do to new level. People will be able learn new skills, train in different roles and gain employment. 

On Monday (18 Jan 2021) the park will host a 300 plus lantern community art installation, focussing on local the heritage industries of linen and paper making by using images of flax flowers and paper. The installation is a pilot project to see how such heritage crafts could be received when carried out in the new building. It will be held as part of Blue Monday – January 18th - supposedly the most depressing day of the year and focusses on helping support people with their mental health in these challenging times. We need to raise further funds to complete the build and have so far raised more than £22,000 via a community crowdfunding campaign. However, we need to raise £2.5 million, so help is still needed. To support the Crowdfunder log onto: www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/silverburn-flax-mill or text FLAX to 70085 to donate £5. Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message or choose your own amount e.g. FLAX10 to 70085. This can be anything from £1 to £20. 

We are recruiting!  

We have a vacancy within our Employ Your Mind project - an internationally recognised vocational rehabilitation project aimed at developing the employability skills of inpatients and outpatients of Fife mental health services. This specific role involves the design and delivery of group-based and individual employability and personal development interventions, work placement sourcing/support and delivery and design of cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) to a wide range of participants over a 6-month period. The aim of the project is to move the client closer towards increasingly meaningful occupations and accessing more mainstream job-seeking services. The project began in June 2012 and we are confident we will secure funding to continue the project beyond March 2021.

The successful candidate should have some knowledge of CRT and be experienced delivering a range of employability based soft skills to individuals and groups with complex, severe and enduring mental health conditions. You will deliver elements of an accredited training programme, and develop new content for the coursework. The project is Fife based and you should be able to work from home as required. You will also be expected to carry out a proportion of work in NHS inpatient/outpatient venues within Fife, as well as parks and woodland settings with patients with complex mental health conditions, on a one-to-one basis.

This post is 100% funded by the European Social and Investment Fund

Candidates will be required to undergo a PVG check. Application packs are available here or by e-mail to wendy@feat.org.uk or telephone 07736901022. Please do not send a C.V. If you wish to discuss the role before applying please contact: joanne@fifeips.co.uk or catherine@feat.org.uk or call the number above.

The closing date for applications is Friday 11th December at 12 noon and interviews will be held on Friday 18th December 2020.

We are proud to announce the launch of the Silverburn Flax Mill ‘Buy A Brick’ Campaign. We hope to raise £1,500 by Christmas towards the re-pointing and renovation of the Flax Mill’s 30,000 iconic red bricks. “Buying” a virtual brick will help us to achieve the multi-million pound fundraising target which will enable the transformation of Silverburn Park’s Flax Mill.

The campaign will allow people to buy into the future of Silverburn Park by donating £15 per brick, a unique gift for a loved-one this Christmas.

Each brick will be carefully repointed and repaired, bringing the currently derelict B-listed former Flax Mill building back to life, the jewel in the crown of Silverburn Park. A park that was gifted by the Russell Family to the people of Fife, and the people of Levenmouth in particular, as a place of quiet reflection.

A special gift for people who love Silverburn Park

The brick certificate, emailed to you or your loved-one, will make an ideal gift for people who love the park and want to see it revived. An ideal gift for coastal path walkers, cyclists, runners, dog walkers, Scottish heritage enthusiasts, families who love the park, people who want to see Levenmouth thrive. If you can’t visit your loved-ones this Christmas then send them something meaningful and look forward to meeting in the park.

Each brick renovation costs £15 and the money raised will go towards the multi-million-pound Silverburn Flax Mill Visitor Centre and Community Hub, set to open in 2025, in time for the opening of the Levenmouth Rail Link.

To commemorate your gift:

- A personalised Brick Renovation Certificate

- Information about the Flax Mill project. If you are a family, business or organisation and would like to contribute ten or more bricks, you will have your business name credited on our website.

If you like our project mention us on social media using the below hashtags.

#flaxmillrevival

#silverburnflaxmill

#GiveBack2020

Buy your brick(s) today by visiting the dedicated brick web page!

FEAT have been working for some time now to implement a major community-led initiative for wellbeing, enterprise and employment, benefiting the people of Levenmouth and beyond.

Our aim is to bring the currently derelict B-listed former Flax Mill building back to life, creating a sustainable and iconic centre piece for Silverburn Park.

We are looking for your support to help achieve the goal and would ask you to share our crowdfunding appeal with your contacts and, if you can, contribute any loose change you can manage!  

As well as donating online, you can also text a donation if you prefer -  

Text FLAX to 70085

(Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message, or choose your own amount, eg: FLAX10 to donate £10 (up to £20))

35 hours per week up to March 2021 -  £27,405 per annum

FEAT is seeking a full-time Team Supervisor to oversee and manage the Employ Your Mind (EYM) project - an innovative vocational rehabilitation project aimed at developing the employability skills of inpatients and outpatients of Fife mental health services. The aim of EYM is to move students closer towards accessing more mainstream job-seeking services. 

The successful candidate will be part of an internationally recognised, world-leading project delivering cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) and employability skills to students and clients with complex mental health problems, at different stages on their journey towards employment. The role involves delivery of group-based and individual employability and personal development interventions, work placement sourcing/support and delivery and design of CRT to a wide range of participants who study over a 6-month period. The role also involves delivering training to other professional teams.

The Team Supervisor will oversee and manage the key objectives of the EYM team as well as the day-to-day performance of EYM employees. As a successful supervisor you will have excellent organisational and communication skills. These skills will help you transfer information from senior management to employees and communicate EYM teams’ performance or needs to senior managers. This role is fully supported by FEAT management of which this role forms part. 

The role is based in our offices in Fife, and you are expected to carry out a proportion of work in NHS inpatient/outpatient settings and in the community around Fife, with patients with complex mental health conditions, on a one-to-one basis.  Due to Covid-19, the role is likely to start home-based as FEAT virtual provision is now live.  This innovative project has secured substantial further funding from Opportunities Fife and the European Social Investment Fund and we expect to continue beyond March 2021.  You will be part of an enthusiastic dynamic team offering an inclusive, non-judgmental approach to support and empower people to flourish by managing their mental health for life

. 

FEAT are an Equal Opportunities and Disability Confident employer and encourage applications from all members of the community including disabled applicants. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of gender and ethnic group, but, as members of ethnic minority groups are currently under-represented in our organisation we would encourage applications from members of these groups. Appointment will be based on merit alone. FEAT's vision is to enable and support individuals to reach their full positive mental well-being in a culture where there is no stigma.

Application packs are available by e-mail from wendy@feat.org.uk or via our website https://fifeemploymentaccesstrust.com/. Please do not send a C.V.  Candidates will be required to undergo a PVG check.  For informal queries please contact Joanne Koziel on 07736901030 or Wendy Barbour on 07736901022.

The closing date for applications is Friday 23rd October at 12 noon.  Interviews will be held shortly thereafter.

Spearing heading the renovation of the Silverburn flax mill and not scared of getting his hands dirty by volunteering to do a shed load of jobs around the park, Brian Robertson was nominated within the 'Terrific Trustee' category at the Scottish Charity Awards 2020.

We're proud of Brian's commitment to our mission and whilst he didn't win the category overall, he's a winner in our eyes!

With the world changing, so too does peoples chat. 

Cornavirus,  lockdown and a struggling economy are likely to heighten customers  mental health difficulites meaning that those they speak to are in a  unique position to help. 

In fact, it's our belief that those  working in bars, cafes, hairdressers, buticians and nail salons are the  hidden front line staff facing this raising challenge. 

Already  equipped with excellent listening skills and often the ones hearing the  high stakes drama of customers lives playing out from across them, staff  members are uniquely positioned to make a real yet subtle difference to  the mental health of customers. And we want to help you make that  difference. 

Drawing from our years of experience working with  people with mental health difficulties within Fife and the latest  psychological evidence, in this webinar we'll look at:

• effective lines of questioning that can help people navigate lifes challenges
• how to apply the tools and techniques in real life using a brave volunteer (one of our guys - don't worry!)
• the resources out there that you could encourage struggling customers to engage with
• how to look after your own mental well-being through uncertain times

The webinar will be recorded and everyone who signs up will have access to  the recording for 2 weeks afterwards, meaning that if you can't make the  live event, you'll still be able to get access to the content.

All  tickets are set at 'donation' meaning we ask that you give what you can  afford/think it's worth to you. All donations will go to the ongoing  work of Fife Employment Access Trust as we contiune to help Fifers,  struggling with mental health difficulties, get back into work.

Click here to get your tickets!

Please note our temporary office contact numbers have changed for the remainder of the lockdown period to 07380 651 808   We will strive to answer every call, however there may be occasions when you go straight to voice mail - please leave us a message in this instance and we'll get back in touch.

We also still operate our text-only service at 07780 251711.  Calls answered between 9 and 4.30 pm on weekdays.

If you are an existing service user at FEAT and/or Fife IPS, you should already have the individual phone number for your key worker and can continue to use that number to get in touch.

We also run a weekly zoom room, every Thursday from 2 pm - 4 pm where you can pop in for a chat with the team, click here to join.

Speak soon!

Everyone is feeling the effects of the lockdown and social distancing measures and of course it has meant the temporary closure of our offices in Hanover Court and Silverburn Park.

We are, however, still actively working and engaging with all existing service users, those on the waiting list and still welcoming new enquiries from individuals looking for help.  We have helped several service users into temporary, essential CV-19 related jobs in recent times and are running group work sessions and 1:1's via video conferencing, telephone calls and webinars.

Contact us via this website, phone us on our temporary hotline 07380 651 808 or our social media channels, or text 07780251711 if you need us.  

The new team of consultants enlisted to take forward the regeneration of Silverburn Park came together for an induction day at Silverburn Park in January 2020. Great group of experts with vast experience, really exciting, if very cold, day to launch the next chapter of our plans!

The team comprises specialist knowledge in a variety of areas from business planning and project development to evaluation, fundraising, interpretation and an historian, supporting the staff team at FEAT along with volunteers from our Board of Directors.

Further updates are available on our Silverburn facebook page and dedicated website.

We are celebrating success in 2019, having been shortlisted for two prestigious awards, locally and nationally.

We are a finalist in the Centre for Social Justice Awards (Work Category) and also the Fife Business Awards (Innovation) category, with both holding their ceremonies during March 2019 when we'll learn our fate.

This follows the success of two staff members in December 2018 who took prizes in the Fife Business Diversity Awards for overcoming barriers and successfully gaining and holding down employment with us.  Arran Ritchie took the Bronze Award and Catherine Grubb won Gold at the ceremony - huge congratulations to them both!

The Centre for Social Justice Award ceremony takes place on March 5th in London.  The CSJ Awards is an annual, high profile award ceremony that honours the best grassroot, poverty-fighting charities and social enterprises from across Britain. Five winners will receive a £10,000 grant and be profiled in front of hundreds of leading figures from across the country and we're excited to be a part of it this year.

The Fife Business Awards ceremony takes place on 29th March and will hosted by well-known personality Fred McAuley.  We are in the running for an award for our excellence in creativity and innovation.

To win either of these awards will be difficult - we're up against stiff competition indeed, however this is a great way to celebrate our 25th Anniversary whatever the result!